Page 69 of Saving Destiny

The only thing I know about pheromones is that they’re used to attract mates. Avery’s mate bond with me is solidified, but the others aren’t. I don’t want any of my other guardians around her, although they don’t appear affected. Perhaps her spell-trap is broken.

“You’re not reporting me,” the woman protests shrilly. She stamps her foot like a child, although I’m slightly impressed she can pull it off in six-inch stilettos.

The shifter and the vampire growl at her simultaneously, their different voices forming a strange harmony. Avery’s guttural rattle isn’t animalistic, but it’s equally threatening when combined with his blood-red eyes and sharp fangs. He might be slender, but he’s strong and fast. Sage informs me that the gargoyles will assist the vampire once he reaches the front doors.

I repeat the library’s message to Avery and add a request to be careful as I bump my head against his hip. I press closer to Bren so the woman can get out of the small nook they’re hiding in. The mage is barely holding onto his magic, but my touch seems to help. The sparks haven’t increased since I started offering him support.

This entire situation is partly my fault, I think as Avery jerks his head toward the woman. Bren’s agitation had steadily risen over the course of the morning, but I’d been too busy to do or say anything. I should have checked on him sooner and more often; we’d known the crowd would be difficult for him.

Kodi had watched from a distance, but he’d been distracted by a third-year student hiding behind a bookshelf. The student had smuggled in an old-fashioned camera that didn’t rely on digital technology, and he was using it take pictures of a book that was considered library-use only. Kodi chased the kid out of the building while the goblins stealthily secured the book and the camera.

The incident had occurred just before I’d noted a sharp rise in Bren’s agitation. Right now, Kodi is hovering out of sight after performing a second look for students that might be hiding. I didn’t want this woman to see him. She looks like she’ll sell information for money or status, and I don’t want the entire world to know we have a ghost on our staff. We’d all agreed that Kodi would only reveal himself when necessary.

The woman doesn’t obey immediately. Instead, she glances around as if seeking an escape route. She might be pretty in a high-maintenance kind of way, but something about her strikes me as odd. I can’t decide what bothers me.

Although there’s a wall behind him, Garrett does a good impression of a second wall as he spreads his powerful legs and glowers at the woman. The bookshelves bracketing us rumble with Sage’s agitation, and the woman finally exhibits a healthy spark of fear. The library’s fury fills my senses as keenly as Bren’s magic, and I know the odious woman will be prevented from ever entering my library again.

The vampire’s eyes glow with a menacing threat as he herds the woman, and his smile turns his beauty into a deadly mask. Although the woman is clearly worried now, I find his transformation alluring. I trust the vampire with my life, though, and our mate bond won’t allow me to fear him.

After the two of them vacate the enclosed space, Garrett whispers something into his brother’s ear. Nothing in Bren’s nature indicates that he hears or understands, but he doesn’t struggle when Garrett lifts him into his arms. Last night, Avery carried me in front of him, but this resembles a fireman’s carry, like he’s saving his brother from a burning building. Maybe that’s what Garrett fears.

Magic still sparks around Bren like bolts of electricity. The first time an ember lands on Garrett’s skin, I see the shifter flinch. He simply grits his teeth and marches toward the elevator that’s reserved for our patrons who need mobility assistance. The elevator is small, so I spring into the air after ensuring the pouting woman is still cooperating. The vampire is leading her into the foyer.

The library leads me to the ninth floor where a concealed door next to the elevator opens into an interior staircase that spans the distance between the ninth floor and the exit onto the roof. Sage swings the doors open for us, and I lope up the two flights on four legs instead of trying to fly in the enclosed space. Garrett moves faster than I thought he might, considering he’s carrying Bren and being shocked with intermittent magic.

When the door opens onto the roof, we’re nearly pushed back into the stairwell by a powerful gust of wind. Instinctively, I tuck my wings against my back to prevent injury. I want to shift, but I don’t have my chair or crutches and I’d have difficulty in this weather.

Garrett carries Bren to a partially sheltered alcove, and I wonder if I’m the only employee that hasn’t visited the roof yet. The mage sinks to his hands and knees on the cement roof, and I join them while Garrett recovers. Bren’s weight wasn’t a burden, but the sparks of magic have caused the shifter pain. Sweat beads on his forehead.

“What can I do?” I have to yell to be heard over the howling wind. I purposefully haven’t looked up yet. I can sense the clouds rolling and churning, and they feel right on top of us instead of hundreds of miles above us.

Garrett leans closer to me. “I think you should shift and hold him. That woman must have insulted you to make him lose control like this. Your scent will also override the stench of her spell.”

I hesitate. Bren looks like he’s in another universe, so it’s impossible to ask him what he needs. I have to trust that Garrett knows best, so I sit down next to Bren and execute the transition into my human body.

The mage’s sparks are more potent in this form. They still don’t hurt, but they prickle strangely. Pushing aside the discomfort, I tentatively reach for Bren. He falls onto me as if he has no control over his body, and I’m glad that I’m sitting and my back is braced by the dome. Without saying anything, the mage crawls into my lap like he thinks my body will protect him if he's as close to me as possible.

When he stops moving around like a restless cat, I finally look at the sky above us. Dark clouds roil and swirl, and their movements resemble a time-lapse nature video. Brisk gusts of wind whisk away the lingering odor of the woman’s corpse-like scent. Impending rain adds to the air’s freshness.

Bren’s body is stiff as he sits sideways on my thighs and tucks his head under my chin. It’s not a comfortable position because he’s taller than me, but I wrap my arms around him regardless. I make my grip on him as tight as his on me, resting one hand on his back and the other on his smooth hair. The scent of the storm merges with Bren’s shampoo and the electrified odor of his magic. I fill my lungs several times as I rid myself of the memory of the woman’s foul smell.

“Are you okay like that? Does it hurt? He’s so far gone that he won’t be able to tell.” Garrett’s concerned voice surprises me. For a second, I forgot he was still here.

My thighs already ache from Bren’s weight, but I shake my head. I’ve managed pain before. I can tolerate more than this if it will protect the library and my guardians – all of them.

“I’m fine,” I reply vaguely before my gaze flickers back to the clouds. “Did his magic do this? It was sunny a couple hours ago.” I distinctly remember enjoying the sunlight filtering through the stained-glass dome when the first students entered the library.

Garrett shrugs, and the strangely colored sky paints his face with shadows. I admire the rugged appeal of his features when he glances away to speak. “I don’t know. He doesn’t really know. His magic manifests in different ways, and it isn’t easily explained.”

I find the non-answer perfect because Bren is similar. The mage can’t be described or explained in easy terms, either. I love this about him. Although his muscles have released a bit of tension, the erratic sparks of his magic continue to stab me with a sensation somewhere between pleasure and pain. I know some people crave pain during intimacy, but I get my fill without seeking it out. I want my intimacy to be all pleasure and no pain because it helps me escape the memories of past pain and current discomfort.

Bren’s sapphire magic makes me feel strangely alive, though. Each spark bursts with magical power as if he can’t contain the whole of it and the tiny blue fireflies are embers escaping a blaze. His eyes remain tightly shut, and he alternates between erratic breaths and deeper ones as if he’s actively concentrating on controlling his breathing. He seems calmer now, and that’s what is most important.

Garrett continues to hover, but I ignore him and take several more deep breaths. I’ve missed the fresh air, and I decide to come up here more often. Unlike most roofs, this one is meant to be used. The flat area surrounding the dome is wide and level, and a waist-high concrete wall shields the edges to prevent accidents.

Gargoyles perch on each corner but there’s also one in the middle of each wall as well. The sight of them reminds me of Ansel. I hope that he’ll visit when we reopen. A quick glimpse through the gargoyles’ eyes reassures me that the ancient, bearded mage who’d been kind to me during my introduction to the library has taken custody of the woman. I feel sure she won’t be forgiven if he oversees her punishment. The woman screeches in fury and attempts to fight but she’s easily restrained. A sense of satisfaction surges through me when I see the tight shackles that contain her magic. She deserves much worse.

“What did Avery call that thing that the woman was trying to do?” My question sounds harsh because of my irritation. No one takes advantage of my guardians.

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